Drug treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): long-term trial with clomipramine and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

Psychopharmacol Bull. 1996;32(1):167-73.

Abstract

A 2-year, open-label followup was performed on 130 obsessive-compulsive patients who were responders to a previous 6-month treatment with clomipramine (150 mg/day), fluoxetine (40 mg/day), or fluvoxamine (300 mg/day). Continuation treatment with the same daily dose was compared to continuation with half doses or to discontinuation of pharmacotherapy. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale were used every 3 months, or whenever a worsening of symptoms was experienced. Maintenance treatments were found significantly superior to discontinuation in preventing relapses, and no differences in efficacy were found between full and half doses. A comparison of the three subgroups of patients who were withdrawn from drug therapy failed to demonstrate any statistical difference.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Clomipramine / therapeutic use*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Female
  • Fluoxetine / therapeutic use
  • Fluvoxamine / therapeutic use
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / drug therapy*
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
  • Fluoxetine
  • Clomipramine
  • Fluvoxamine